Dreams & Beyond
by Perky-Thief
Summary: Noreen just thought that she was a simple little girl, she had no idea that there were actually tiny faeries that guarded her dreams each night. But happens when she accidentally meets & befriends one of them? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Perky-Thief** here, bringing you another faerie-tale fic for your enjoyment. The inspiration for this story came from the idea of Peter Pan's Tinkerbell, but isn't really connected that much. This story was just an idea I had floating around in my head.

The title of it is Dreams & Beyond. It takes place in a three-part sequence: prologue, story, and epilogue.

Let me know if you like it, or if I should just scrap the entire thing now.

Enjoy!!

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**Dreams & Beyond**

**Prologue **

Each night when a mother tucks her sleeping babes into their beds there is a hushed whisper, as gentle as the wind, too soft for any mother to detect. It is the final kiss given to the babe by his or her faerie.

Now you may or may not know this, but every child who dreams has a faerie. They can't sense it, or hear it for that matter, but sometimes the lucky ones wake up just in time to see their faerie depart from their room.

What is a faerie? Where does a faerie come from, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you…

When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh was shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Those pieces flew throughout the world, and attached themselves to every little child still believed in what grown-ups call 'fantasy' or make-believe. The eternal job of the faeries is to protect the dreams of the innocent child, and bar off all nightmares and horrid things.

However, there is a catch, once a child stops believing, that faerie just disappears. They sort of fade away, if you will, into nothing, just an empty void left in space.

Now, eventually, another faerie will take up that space, guarding his or her own dream child.

Except one…

It was a frosty December night, upon which our story is to begin. Its setting is in a bedroom, belonging to a child no older than eleven. There is a fireplace with a wooden rocking chair beside it. Pictures of unicorns and mermaids grew on the pink walls, and children's storybooks were laid about messily in a corner. We see a small light pink canopy bed, with a beautiful woman sitting on the edge, and a young brown-haired child sitting up, listening eagerly to her mother's final story, before she is to depart into slumber.

O0O (Official Beginning)

"So Cinderella and her Prince lived happily ever after. The end." Mrs. Marin closed the storybook and placed it on her lap. "There now, my angel. You must go to sleep and dream happy things. And in the morning, I want to hear all about them. Okay?" Mrs. Marin smiled, standing up and moving gracefully towards the door.

"Yes mother," Noreen replied, smiling widely. "Mother," she called softly after a moment.

"Yes my dear?" Mrs. Marin said, still portraying the elegant smile.

"Do I have a Fairy Godmother like Cinderella?"

"Yes, precious. Everyone has a Fairy Godmother, even you."

"When can I meet her?" Noreen asked eagerly.

"Maybe one day if you are lucky enough, you will wake up, and see her sitting by the fire."

"Do you really think so?" Her eyes held tiny, innocent sparkles of hope.

"Yes. Now go to sleep." She walked back over to Noreen's bed and tucked her in again. With a final kiss and a quick 'goodnight,' she left the room and headed downstairs towards the drawing room.

Noreen yawned widely, and drifted off into her own land of dreams. Her dreams were unlike those of any other children her age. She enjoyed many magical things: pirates, sirens, mermaids, unicorns, dragons; all of which resided in her dreams. Of all the mystic things she knew, it had never once crossed Noreen's mind that faeries guard dreams.

But it was that night, while she lay snuggled up tightly in her covers, that her own faerie was sitting atop the head of the bed, watching her sleep peacefully.

_Her faerie_, personally, was very talented when it came to the barring of nightmares. She had never let one get through, leaving Noreen completely nightmare-free, and unaware of such anguish.

Outside, a dog barked loudly.

The faerie lost her focus, and glanced towards the window instead of Noreen. It was at that moment that one of the most horrid images slipped through her grasp, and into the mind of her sleeping charge.

Noreen twisted and turned in her sleep and slowly a tear dripped down her cheek whilst she slept. The faerie became confused and unsure of what to do; this had never happened to her before. She was usually so professional…

She knew that she was not supposed to wake her charges, but in this case, she thought it might be the best thing.

The faerie, no bigger than a thumb, jumped down onto Noreen's cheek and began kicking her in the nose. "Wake up! Oh, please, wake up. WAKE UP!"

Noreen awoke with a jump from the visions, flinging the faerie with her hand all the way to the end of the bed. She noticed the creature, and in fear, threw her blankets over her head, as most children would.

The faerie, startled by Noreen's sudden actions, flew gracefully toward her, her translucent opalescent wings fluttering rapidly behind her. She landed directly in front of Noreen, smiling gently.

"Please don't be frightened, little girl," she spoke in a soft whisper. "I meant not to scare you. I would like to be your friend, if you allow me."

Hearing this, Noreen cautiously lowered the blankets. Her innocent gaze beheld a stunning little creature standing there; acorn tops covered her breasts, and a skeleton leaf encircled her waist. Strands of silver were imbedded into her cocoa colored hair, creating a heavenly glow encircling her head.

"What are you?" she asked, her voice slightly trembling.

The faerie giggled childishly. "You silly girl. A faerie, but if you want to be technical, your Dream Guardian."

"What's that?"

"Well, duh. I guard your dreams. It's my job to keep out all the nightmares. Boy, and you humans claim to know everything…"

"Oh, well, I didn't know," Noreen said, with slight offense. "Um, what's your name?"

The faerie appeared startled. No human had ever asked her that before…but she saw no harm to it. "I'm Selene. What's yours?"

"Noreen Marie Catherine Marin. Wow, I've never met a faerie before."

"Not many do. Normally, we faeries guard your dreams from our homes and-"

"Where's that?" Noreen cut in.

"I live in the Vale of Moonlight, where all faeries live. Anyway, we normally guard dreams from there, but on occasion we travel to the actual homes of our charges to check up on them personally. It's all very routine. However, tonight, I accidentally let a nightmare through. Sorry."

"It's okay. It wasn't that bad anyway, just a couple of dragons attacking innocent villages, no biggie. So what do you do when I'm awake?"

Selene smiled, for she did many fun things while Noreen was awake; however, Noreen had probably never even heard of any of them. "My friends and I like to play all different types of games: Flower Tower, Mine Hunt, Follow My Leader, to name a few. But the best game of all is Bumble Racing."

Noreen looked puzzled. "What's that?" she inquired.

"It's when we race across the Vale on bumblebees. They're our main mode of transportation; mine is named Buzz-Bee."

"Wow," Noreen exclaimed in amazement. "You actually ride on bumblebees? That's so cool!"

Selene only rolled her green eyes, "everyone owns one; how else would we get from place to place…you humans are so behind with the times."

For many hours they spoke of interesting conversations, each inquiring more about the other. Noreen wanted to know more about faeries, while Selene wanted to hear more concerning Noreen's dreams. (It was an honor to hear how good of a job you were doing for your charge.)

You need not ever worry about a grownup hearing you talk to a faerie, for only children hear their language clearly. Adults hear only a light tinkle of bells. However, if you were an adult and you did happen to hear the tinkle, you would swear that you'd heard it once before.

Selene would normally only come to Noreen's house once a month to check on her. But since they met, Selene came almost every night. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months to years.

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Well, that's the end of the first part, don't forget to **Read & Review**.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, **Perky-Thief** here, bringing you the second installment of Dreams & Beyond. I know it's been a while, but I honestly forgot that I had uploaded this story. So, without further ado, here is _Chapter Two_.

Let me know if you like it. Enjoy!

Don't forget to Review your comments.

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**Dreams & Beyond**

Noreen was nearly 15, and her parents had been getting on her case about 'growing up.' Their arguments proceeded as such:

"Please leave me alone," Noreen would say, whining. "I don't wanna change my room. Just let me keep it the way I want."

"But you must change it," her father replied, the same as always. "You're too old."

"No, I'm not. Mommy, please don't make me do it."

"I'm sorry, my darling," Mrs. Marin would say sympathetically. "I have to agree with your father."

Mr. Marin smiled smugly. "There, you've heard it from the lips of your own mother. You're going to change it and that's final."

A look of depression fell over Noreen's face, weakening her father's sternness. "Look," he would say. "If it makes you feel any better, you can redecorate you room all by yourself." Silently, he would walk out of the room.

But Mrs. Marin always smiled kindly. "Sweetie, there are certain things in life you just can't escape: puberty, friendships, falling in love. Growing up is also one of those things."

"It makes no difference. I won't change my mind." Noreen always chose to withdraw from the conversation at that point in time, leaving her mother with a hurt look on her face.

Noreen did not wish to abandon her happiness nor Selene, for Selene had told her about what would happen if she stopped believing, and Noreen didn't want to lose her as a faerie or a friend.

Yet, in the end, Noreen knew that she must grow up at one time or another, so she gave in. A painter came along with an interior decorator and her room was transformed into a sophisticated room befitting a young woman. And she planned to tell her sad decision to Selene that night when she came.

Noreen sat on her bed, darning an old dress when she heard the soft tinkle. She glanced towards her window and saw the faint glow of Selene's translucent wings about ten paces away.

When she reached the room, Selene took her usual place, sitting on the right end of the bedpost. She opened her mouth to speak but then noticed Noreen's grim expression.

"What's the matter?" Selene asked. Looking around the room, she realized that everything appeared different. The fantasy pictures no longer hung on the newly white-painted walls. The canopy was taken off the bed, and the storybooks were piled neatly in cardboard boxes. "What's going on? Why did you change everything?"

Noreen sighed. "My parents want me to grow up." She paused seeing the shocked look on Selene's face, but then continued a moment later. "At first I refused; I didn't want to. But then I realized that they were right. I'm 15; I need to grow up sometime."

Selene sat stone-like, her tiny mouth partially ajar. "How could you say such a horrible thing? I thought we were going to be friends forever. Now you suddenly _want_ to grow up?! I won't – no, I don't believe you."

Two single tears crawled down Noreen's cheek. "Selene, try to understand. You don't know what it's like having to go to school and constantly be made fun of for years just because you still believe in unicorns and that nonsense. It's not fair – not to me. You'll never know what I went through, and you have no right to judge me!"

Selene fought back the crystalline tears, which had gathered in the corners of her eyes. "Fine," she muttered deeply. "If that's the way you feel, then _grow up_. I wash my hands of you." She dramatically wiped her hands together in a 'swishing' manner.

Selene flew wobbly to the window, no longer attempting to hold back her tears. When she reached the shutters, she turned to face Noreen. "I hope you like nightmares, Noreen, because there's no one to protect you from them now." With that, she turned on her heel and dashed out of sight.

Noreen slammed her head into a white lace pillow, crying hard. For that was the last time the young girl, Noreen, ever saw Selene.

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Well that's it for the second installment. ** R&R**


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here we go. This is the **Perky-Thief** here, with the third and final chapter of Dreams & Beyond. Actually, this chapter is more of an epilogue, so to speak. But either way, here's the end. I hope you've liked this story so far.

Without further ado, enjoy Chapter Three.

Enjoy!!

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**Dreams & Beyond**

**Epilogue **

Many years had come to pass since Selene's final departure from Noreen's window. Noreen was no longer the heart-broken little girl she'd been so long ago. Time had passed, bringing many new things with it; Noreen was now happily married and spent her days enjoying the 'finer things in life.'

Inside, though, she knew it wouldn't bother her if Selene ever _did_ decide to come back. Even thought Noreen had denied it to everyone who asked, she never truly stopped believing in her little world of make-believe. She still held onto all of her old storybooks, opting to pull them out and read them whenever she felt lonely.

The fresh dew from the afternoon rain created a warm spring night outside. Noreen had just finished reading a bedtime story to her daughter, Adrianne, now fast asleep. She, like her mother years ago, had a passion for fantasy and loved to hear stories of the famous tales.

Noreen had inherited the house from her father, and the very same room that she once played in now belonged to Adrianne. It pleased Noreen to even have the same mystical pictures on the walls.

She took a seat in the old wooden rocking chair by the fire and began to do some knitting. It was a faint tinkle that had distracted her from her work, but when Noreen glanced towards the window, she saw nothing. Feeling it was merely the wind, she resumed her work until she heard it again, this time near Adrianne.

When she looked at her daughter, a familiar sight greeted her eyes. Selene sat calmly above Adrianne's head, working her magic.

At Noreen's glance, Selene flew towards her and plopped down on the yarn basket. Her eyes had a pleading look in them, though she said nothing.

Noreen smiled. "Hello, old friend."

"Hello," Selene whispered. "It's been a long time."

"Yes, I am quite aware." Noreen looked tenderly at the little faerie, obviously pleased to see her. "Too long, I'm afraid."

"When you _grew up_," Selene started, shuttering at the word, "I didn't want to be rid of you forever and since you still believed, I remained alive. When Adrianne was born, I immediately offered to be her guardian."

"And I'm quite glad." Noreen's smile slowly faded. "I should never have pushed away and forced you out of my life. As I'm sure you can tell, I never truly wanted you to leave. Can you ever forgive me, friend, for the way I treated you back then?"

Selene beamed, her pearly wings fluttering fast in response. "Of course, but only if you forgive me for abandoning you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Noreen said, smiling.

Adrianne rolled over with a soft moan, twisting and turning the blankets with her legs.

"Oh, my baby…she has such terrible dreams," Noreen said with a slight grimace, as any mother would. She stood up and walked towards the bedroom door, pausing within its frame. "Go protect her for me, won't you?"

"With pleasure." Selene glided towards Adrianne and worked her magic on the nightmare, forcing it out of the innocent child's mind.

Abruptly, the seven year old sprang up in bed, a tear resting beneath her eye. When she noticed Selene sitting behind, she picked up the blankets and threw them over her head.

Selene got down to face her and said, "Please don't be frightened, little girl. I meant not to scare you."

Adrianne slowly pulled the blankets from her eyes. "What are you?"

"You silly girl, I'm your Dream Guardian."

"What's that?" she asked, her voice emitting curiosity.

Selene smiled sweetly and glanced towards Noreen, still standing in the doorway. When she looked back at Adrianne she said, "Well, calm down and I'll tell you."

O0O

For years Adrianne and Selene shared many wonderful conversations. Eventually, she grew up, but always believed, and Selene became a Dream Guardian for her daughter, Elizabeth.

One day when Elizabeth has a daughter (so long as she believes), Selene will be her Dream Guardian, and so on and so forth. For that was how it was and will be, forever and ever, until one day someone stops believing for good. But that time is far from now; so for the time being, we'll just watch the chain grow with pride and happiness.

Because all who know Selene, stay children forever in their hearts.

**THE END**

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And that's the end. I hope you've enjoyed my story. Don't forget to** Review** if you did.


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